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Forever Fading
forever fading the sequel to forever flames by phoenix flight 'Prologue' "It's okay, Stormflare!" The silvery she-cat's flanks heaved, and she let out a cry of pain as she tried to run again. "Get away from me!" she shrieked, her pale orange eyes wide and stinging with tears. "Get away!" she yowled again, stumbling over her own paws. She kept glancing back at her pursuers, making sure they wouldn't catch up too quickly. They were, reaching out to her with their murderous paws, eager to kill her only kin. Firepetal, named for her blazing orange pelt, panted as she put on a burst of speed. She slowed down to trot briskly beside Stormflare. "We won't hurt you." she whispered softly, touching her nose to Stormflare's ear. "I promise-" "Liar! You're both just filthy liars!" Stormflare screeched. She pulled away from the other she-cat, her silver pelt ruffled in rage and fright. "You tried to kill Darkmask's kits!" she spat, a furious glint in her eyes. "I don't want you to kill mine, you traitors!" She swiped her thorn-sharp claws at who she once called her best friend, causing Firepetal to recoil with agony in her eyes. "Stormflare, please, you're being hysterical." Firepetal's apprentice, Creekpaw, meowed, sounding desperate. "Please, calm down!" His grey-black fur was streaked with red after taking a clawing from the paranoid queen. He ignored the limp that he showed when he walked and gasped, "Think of your kits..." Stormflare's belly was swollen with her soon-to-be-born kits, but she still forced herself to a strange-looking run and snarled, "Keep away from my kits!" Then she let out a piercing screech as she collapsed onto her side, her flanks heaving. She tried to rise again, but her legs gave out and she fell again. "Shh, it's alright, Stormflare." Firepetal murmured gently as if she were speaking to a kit. "Just let us help you." She lightly placed her small, delicate paw onto her friend's flank. The queen was too exhausted to protest. She only flailed one of her forelegs and let out a weak, wavering hiss of anger. There'll be four kits. Firepetal thought, glancing sideways at Creekpaw. The apprentice was trying to silence Stormflare, but the queen lashed out at him with her claws. The grey-black tom leaped back, his blue eyes wide as blood trickled down his face. An agonized screech cut into Firepetal's thoughts, and she immediately turned back to Stormflare, who was writhing in the grass. When Creekpaw looked at his mentor in fright, the ginger she-cat only mewed, "She's exaggerating. Don't worry, she's fine." The first kit slipped onto the grass, and Firepetal gingerly picked it up by its scruff. She broke the part of the sac at its face. The dark-furred kit's tiny wail filled her ears, and she knew that it was okay. She licked the rest of its pelt, despite the protests of Stormflare, and eventually set it at Creekpaw's paws. "Keep it dry." she ordered him. He didn't have any time to respond as the second kit was birthed. Firepetal repeated the process for the second and third kits, leaving both to Creekpaw to keep them from being hit by the icy rain. She waited for the fourth kit with an icy silence. After a moment, Creekpaw murmured, "Is it...?" "No." Firepetal hissed. "It's still alive. It is. It is." Am I trying to convince Creekpaw or... myself? she thought nervously. The time dragged by. Firepetal's doubts grew more and more, and finally she stood. Looking over to Creekpaw, she whispered, "Get the kits to camp. I'll help Stormflare." She didn't let the young tom reply. She stood and trudged over to Stormflare, hoping to StarClan that there was still a chance. Let it live. Please. These kits are all she's got, and she can't think that her own Clan's medicine cats are murderers...! Firepetal prayed desperately as she reached down to grab Stormflare's scruff in her teeth. Suddenly a spasm shook the queen, making her cry out in pain. Creekpaw immediately froze and turned to look at her. A tiny ginger kit slid out onto the grass, its tiny paws kneading the air. Firepetal darted at it, roughly licking its fur the wrong way to warm it. When it let out a cry of protest, she sighed with relief. "Thank you, StarClan." she murmured, turning her head to the dark grey sky. Rain stung her eyes and she immediately turned her head back down to the kit. Passing the kit to Creekpaw, Firepetal noted that its fur was a fiery orange, while its siblings' fur colors were silvery-blue, dark grey, and black. The same kit was smaller than the rest and its movements were slower, more labored. "Four... healthy kits, Stormflare." the medicine cat announced hesitantly, hiding a tinge of doubt in her tone. The silver tabby opened one eye to look at her kits, all four of which Creekpaw was leaning over in an attempt to keep dry. She mumbled, "Good. Good." Heaving herself to her paws, she heavily plodded over to an almost-dry patch of grass that was protected by a wide overhang. Plopping herself down, she glared at Creekpaw. "Give them here!" she demanded, like a kit whose mossball had been taken. Wordlessly Creekpaw obeyed, lightly pushing the kits up to their mother's belly to nurse. The black-furred tom shoved past his dark grey sister, and the silvery tom climbed over the ginger she-cat. The smallest kit only let out cries of hunger, crawling away from Stormflare. Firepetal directed the ginger she-kit back to her mother, and after a long moment she finally began to nurse along with her siblings. "So, what shall you name them?" Firepetal asked quickly, trying to redirect Stormflare's attention from the weaker kit. The silver tabby glared at the medicine cat as if she were about to refuse, then she blinked back to her kits. "The black one will be Ravenkit." she decided, nudging the small tom with a paw. "Smokekit." She prodded the dark grey she-kit, who wailed in protest before going back to suckling. "Pikekit." She nuzzled the silver tom. Creekpaw pricked his ears. "What about this one?" He nodded at the unnamed kit, who had decided to curl up and sleep instead of eat. Staring at the kit, Stormflare shook her head slowly. "It doesn't get a name." she growled. "It won't live. It's weak." "Oh... but it's still your kit." Creekpaw argued, his rain-slicked fur bristling. "And your kit should get a name." "Fine!" Stormflare snarled with a sudden hostility. Creekpaw flinched away, all signs of resistance gone. "Deadkit! Deadkit's her name!" she snapped. "Now do your medicine cat stuff or leave me be, murderers!" She lay her head on her paws, her ears flattened back. Deadkit. Firepetal thought, shocked. Deadkit is your name... But... I'll rename you. I swear by StarClan, you will get another name... 'One' "Fading? Where are you?" Fading let out a squeak. "Here, Mama!" She scampered over to her mother, a young, gentle-yet-worrisome she-cat named Falling Snow. Fading and her brother Swift were Falling Snow's first kits, and the white-pelted queen was always worried about the two. "Fading! You know I don't like it when you run off like that!" Falling Snow scolded, fear in her clear blue-green eyes. The tiny ginger kitten nodded. "Yep! That's why I hid!" she purred proudly. "Wh-what!?" Falling Snow gasped, obviously shocked at her daughter. "Why would you do such a dreadful thing?" "Hide-and-seek!" Fading mewed. "You never play with me, so I came up with a plan to make you. Oh, and you're always really worried, so I thought you had to lighten up a bit!" she explained. "Oh, how clever." Swift mewed, rolling his eyes. The pale-furred silver kit padded over to her, sitting down beside her. "So you make Mom worry her head off just 'cause of a game you wanted to play?" "Yep!" Fading blinked, staring straight into her brother's eyes. Just then, a loud voice sounded from the Spiritrock. "May all cats join beneath the Spiritrock for a Tribe meeting!" It was Sun Spirit's clear, proud yowl. Swift perked his ears, obviously interested. "Our apprentice ceremonies?" he asked hopefully, his green eyes brightening. Falling Snow shook her head and corrected, "Running Stream's kits' apprentice ceremonies." "Awww, but then they'll be even meaner to us!" Swift whined crossly. "Just 'cause they're older!" he added, sounding a bit too dramatic. Fading blinked. "But why would you want to leave the nursery, Swift? We have everything here!" she chirped, prodding her brother's flank with her tiny paw. "Pfft." he snorted, rolling his eyes. "Everything except freedom- OW!" Falling Snow had cuffed him over the ears. "Don't say that, Swift!" she growled. Her face was surprisingly stern. "You have everything you need here until your ceremonies. Until now, everything you have is all you need." She blinked, then looked back at Sun Spirit, who was calling out the mentors of Wind and Storm. "I shall be Wind's mentor. And Bright Fire will be Storm's mentor." Sun Spirit was saying. Swift let out a jealous yowl. "I wanted to be Sun Spirit's apprentice!" he growled, glaring at Wind like he was tearing her fur off. Falling Snow, once again, cuffed her son over the ears. "Honestly, Swift!" she scolded, ignoring the kit's whine of protest. She turned to Fading. "You may go congratulate Wind and Storm, love." she mewed gently. She turned back to Swift and started to say something, but Fading didn't stick around to hear it. She ran forward through the crowd of cats, trying to avoid tripping over their paws and tails. Eventually she reached the two new apprentices. "Awesome! You're apprentices now!" she exclaimed, her sky blue eyes shining as she stared up at the siblings. Wind flicked her ears as she looked down on Fading. "I know, runt. Thanks for reminding us." she snorted. Storm glared at her, whispered something into her ear, then turned back to Fading. "Thanks, Fade~!" He glanced at Bright Fire, then added, "I'm glad to have Bright Fire as my mentor. She's so smart, and she can teach me how to be a good Hunter!" "You're gonna be a Hunter?" Fading asked, blinking. Storm nodded. "Yeah. And Wind's gonna be a Fighter. Though," he added more quietly, "she is way too small to bring any other Fighter down." He let out a purr of laughter when his sister glared at him angrily. Wind stalked off, her head high. Fading pawed at Storm's tail, then pounced on it like it was a mouse. "You're gonna teach me how to hunt when you learn, right?" she asked hopefully, looking up into the dark grey apprentice's ice-blue eyes. "Promise?" After hesitating, Storm nodded and meowed, "Promise." "Yay!" Fading squealed, batting at the apprentice's waving tail. "I already know how to do the pounce-y thingy! See, watch!" Before she could demonstrate her intelligence, Falling Snow's voice rose from the nursery. "Fading! Come back!" "Coming, Mama!" Fading yowled. "'Bye, Storm!" she mewed quickly, already running back toward the nursery. She tumbled into the den to see Falling Snow curled up in her nest and Swift leaning grumpily against the nursery wall. When he saw Fading, he perked up. The silver tom swaggered over to her, as if he knew something she didn't. He prodded her shoulder with a paw as he asked, "You like Storm, don't you, Fading?" His voice was smug, and Fading didn't know why. "Yeah!" Fading replied happily. "He's a good friend!" "No, not in the friend way." Swift growled impatiently, his ears flicking back and forth. "The Bramble Leap - Lifting Fog way." Bramble Leap was always mooning over Lifting Fog, and Fading immediately understood what her brother was saying. "No!" she protested, her voice breaking into a high-pitched squeak. Her ears burning, she yowled, "He's just a friend! You... you... jerkface!" The ginger kit stalked over to Falling Snow. Glaring at Swift, who had a glimmer of laughter in his green eyes, Fading pushed herself into her mother's soft, fluffy white fur and closed her eyes. 'Two' "Fading, wake up!" The panicked voice belonged to Swift. Fading blinked her eyes open and stared at the blurry shape of her brother, who was jabbing her flank with his small paw. "What is it..." she mumbled in annoyance. "Mom's gone!" Swift's voice rose to a yowl. Fading hadn't noticed before, but the soft, soothing touch of her mother's fluffy fur was gone. She scrambled to a sitting position, her ears pricked. "Um, maybe she's hunting?" she suggested, shrugging weakly. "No! She left early in the morning and hasn't come back! It's almost sunhigh, Fading! SUNHIGH!" he wailed. Swift was truly panicking. This was the first time Fading had seen her brother unsure of what to do. Fading rose to her paws and stifled a yawn. The ginger she-cat sniffed the air, then mewed, "Huh. You're right. Her scent's stale." The she-kit led her brother out of the nursery, and she looked around the clearing. She only saw Rose Dancer, Raven Song, and a few other Hunters and Fighters in the clearing. None bore the fluffy white pelt of Falling Snow. Fading pricked her ears, feeling unusually confused. Her mother was almost always with Raven Song or Burning Leaves, but she caught no sight of the white she-cat, even around the two Fighters. Raven Song was calling out the names of the Hunters, obviously sorting out a patrol to find her friend. "Fading?" a voice called out. The two siblings turned to see Storm padding toward them, his ears perked curiously. "Something wrong? Everyone's freaking out over something." "Yeah, something's wrong!" Fading said quickly, her eyes widening. "Mama's gone and we can't find her anywhere!" Storm tipped his head. "Huh. I haven't seen her all day. And her scent's stale." he added after lifting his head and scenting the air. "She must've left really early. But I dunno where to." The dark grey tom shrugged slightly. "Maybe Burning Leaves knows?" His tone was meant to be assuring, but it sounded like more of a question. "Maybe." Swift spoke up, pushing past Fading. Throwing her an apologetic glance, he mewed, "You were blocking the exit. Sorry." -tbc- Category:Fan Fictions Category:Eevee's Fanfictions